Crude oil futures were lower in mid-morning Asian trade Feb. 18, tracking the overall bearish tone in equity markets as heightened tensions in the Russia-Ukraine crisis sparked a widespread sell-off of risk assets. At 9:45 am Singapore time (0145 GMT), the ICE April Brent futures contract was down 49 cents/b (0.53%) from the previous close at $92.48/b, while the NYMEX March light sweet crude contract was 52 cents/b (0.57%) lower at $91.24/b. Risk assets were tumbling across the board as the prospect of a Russian incursion into Ukraine inched closer. Shelling was reported in Ukraine Feb. 17 amid what Western powers said were attempts by Russia to create a pretext for invasion, while a senior US diplomat was expelled from Russia the same day. “The risk-off mood in Wall Street seems to be extended into Asia’s trading […]